Expedia Now Accepts Bitcoin

ByPeter Schlesinger

Expedia will accept bitcoin for its online hotel bookings, the company announced yesterday.

Travelers choosing the new payment method will be redirected to Coinbase, a digital money exchange, where they will have ten minutes to complete the transaction. How many bitcoins does a hotel cost? At around $640 per bitcoin, a $200 hotel-stay will run 0.32 bitcoins. Coinbase also charges a miniscule "miner fee," worth roughly twelve cents.

Scandals and governmental rulings against the digital coin had earlier placed the crypto-currency's future in doubt. While bitcoin values skyrocketed last November, its since lost nearly half their value.

The news of late has been more positive, with prices stabiliizing somewhat and a growing list of places accepting bitcoin. Expedia's announcement further suggests that the digital money is here to stay.

Peter Schlesinger is a research assistant at Travel + Leisure and a member of the Trip Doctor news team. You can find him on Twitter at @pschles08.